3 replies to this topic

[AntExtract]

I need to get a small vile of scout ant pheromones. Ideas?

[ctantkeeper]

You can collect foraging ants leaving a nearby nest and run them through a centrifuge in order to obtain their cuticular hydrocarbons (this will take many ants to work due the low concentrations of these organic molecules) or by taking a worker and crushing the first sternite / stergite on the gaster with a pair of tweezers which should burst the gland responsible for producing trail pheromone, causing a droplet to form on the rear of the ant (put it on the end of a metal probe and leave a dotted trail on a flat surface for "non-activated" foraging trails or leave a single stroke to create "activated" foraging trails). The shelf life of both materials is relatively short, but I'm not sure about the specifics of that.

[ctantkeeper]

It might be easier to find synthetic alternatives with the same chemical composition rather than "milking" them though.

[drtrmiller]

It might be easier to find synthetic alternatives with the same chemical composition rather than "milking" them though.

 

From what I have read and understand, various chemical compounds for recruitment are blended together and released at will by the Dufour's gland. Because the chemical compounds involved have been identified, scientists have been able to create synthetic versions.  I don't think this is something that could be done outside of a professional lab setting.